Company

Overview

More than 60 years have passed since Morita Kagaku Kogyo was founded as a specialized sweetener manufacturer.
During these years, we have been able to make numerous contributions to the commercialization of Stevia sweeteners and have become known as "The Pioneer of Stevia".
As a pioneer, we have worked hard for technology development based on an integrated system from cultivation to extraction and refinement, bringing first to the world the Rebaudioside A sweeteners and creating a new and unexplored market.
In 2014, we managed to go one step further, succeeding for the first time in the world in developing the ultimate Stevia sweetener with no bitterness.
In the 21st century, healthier and safer foods are demanded and great tasting low calorie sweeteners are needed even more than before. As a sweeteners' specialist, it is our mission to meet this need.
Adding originality and creativity into our accumulated efforts and know-how, we look forward to providing the world with even better sweeteners. Sweeteners developed by Morita.

It is our belief that these sweeteners can contribute to a healthier society for the 21st century and we look forward to working hard toward this goal.

Our Factory

A stevia dedicated factory
with advanced technology facilities located amidst rich and natural environment conservation area and surrounded by the river Takahashigawa and a beautiful
valley known as Ikura.

R&D

Data Analysis

Microorganism Test

Morita and Stevia's History

1. The birth and first steps of Stevia

Shift from artificial to natural sweeteners.

The trigger for Stevia's awareness, was the temporary sales ban of Saccharin due to carcinogenicity doubts. In a period when only artificial sweeteners are being used, Stevia starts to be recognized as a potential alternative.

May 1971. Commercialization of Stevia as a sweetener.

Following Dulcin's and Cyclamate's ban after the World War II, Morita starts looking for safe and natural alternatives.

Using dried leaves of Stevia from Paraguay, Morita launches a liquid product in 1971.

This is the very first commercial Stevia sweetener.

Creating the Stevia business

Building the factory and at the same time developing the refinement technology was something very challenging, but opened the way for what now is a successful Stevia dedicated factory.

Morita's Stevia extraction factory is built (Niimi, Japan 1977)

Building intellectual property

The research on what is now well known as Rebaudioside A, was a common effort with Kinki University and was completed at the same time with a publication by Hiroshima University.

This is the beginning of Morita's intellectual property strategy, with patents and patent applications not only for better tasting Stevia sweeteners, but for differentiated plant varieties as well.

2. Making and improving the leaf

Morita succeeds in world's first large scale cultivation of Stevia (1974) and begins cultivation overseas (1985).

Being told that cultivation is very difficult and that 1kg of leaves costs as much as 1kg of coffee beans, the challenges seemed to be insurmountable.

However, results in Japan proved to be more than satisfactory; after gaining experience in several areas inside Japan and succeeding in developing an improved Stevia variety, the next step was to take the cultivation overseas.

After conducting tests in several countries around the world, China was eventually chosen.

Since then, more than 20 years have passed and Morita still continues to innovate and to improve the leaf itself with the same passion and zeal as before.

3.Constant pursuit of good taste

The discovery of new Steviol glycosides

If Morita's discovery of Rebaudioside A opened the way for better tasting natural sweeteners, Morita's development of the Rebaudioside A plant variety showed the way for consistent and efficient supply of these sweeteners.

However the quest does not end there.

Morita has since then discovered and patented new sweet components of the Stevia leaf, which bring the food & beverage industry one step closer to fulfilling the needs of the consumers for good tasting natural products.